Rockwool Cloning Help

hi all,

I made some clones last night. They seem to be a bit limpy. They are in a dome, 24 watt cfl, 5.9 ph. I soaked the rockwool overnight. I did put rootone on the plants. I cut them how everyone says too. Is this normal?

they will be droopy until the root system develops, make sure your misting them at least once a day, since they dont have a root system yet they need to get their water directly on their leaves. its also important to maintain very high humidity, usually at least 80%

yea, clones are always droopy the first few days.. the humidity is high and the balance btw root system versus stem and leaves is out of proportion (for any clone) so the lack of nutrients,oxygen and energy causes clones to look feeble... give them a huge amount of light, steady temps, 80% humidity like perfextionist said and most importantly, monitor them and make changes.. plants are a balancing act btw roots and the rest of the plant.. if they get worse, just simply clip some of the leaves off to try to help the plant correct the 'balance' until it can start balancing itself.. good luck!

Thanks y'all.

Well now some of the leaves are turning yellow and shriviling at the ends... what am I doing wrong? I haven't changed anything. I'm spraying them maybe 3 times a day. I also checked on their roots and at the tip of the stem (where roots should be) it smells funny and it looks like they are rotting.

I've made a few changes... they are now on a 24 hr. schedule under a 400 watt hps. I'm not sure if it's mold that is forming or roots... can someone help me out?

The first three looked good... but now one is almost dead, don't think it's going to make it.

Also how wet should the rockwool be? It has been pretty much soaking until now.. I squeezed the access water out... should have I done that??

flutist said:

I've made a few changes... they are now on a 24 hr. schedule under a 400 watt hps. I'm not sure if it's mold that is forming or roots... can someone help me out?

The first three looked good... but now one is almost dead, don't think it's going to make it.

Also how wet should the rockwool be? It has been pretty much soaking until now.. I squeezed the access water out... should have I done that??

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Never squeeze rockwool or you will lose all the airspace in it. The rockwool should be damp not soaked. Give them 6-8 hours of dark after you take the cuttings and place them on a heat mat. Lose the humidity dome too it just causes the stems to rot.

Idk if I should just get rid of the dome... the area of the US that I'm in is very very dry.

flutist said:

Idk if I should just get rid of the dome... the area of the US that I'm in is very very dry.

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As long as the temps are in the 70's and you water the rockwool you should be fine. If you are concerned a light misting can solve any problems. I don't like the domes because they trap too much humidity.

Are the pictures I took of the plants roots?

flutist said:

Are the pictures I took of the plants roots?

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Its really hard to tell from the pics. If the stem is rotted they will not root but you can cut of the rotten part if that is the case.

Well what does root rot look like? Is it white as well?

the pics are hard to see, how long have they been in clone? 400 watts of light is ok, just make sure its at least 18 inches or more away. It can help keep the area your cloning in warmer, but if still doesnt then use your heat mat but raise your clone tray above it 2 inches.Looks like your clones are getting a little too warm inside that dome. ALot of people say rockwool is very tempermental but I have been using it for 7 years and have about 99% success rate. And of course it all depends on what kind of nutes your using and I always use CLONEX, seems to work the best. If you want more details let me know.....

hmm, yellow leaves can be caused by a host of factors.. let us pose a few questions ..
Did you soak the rockwool with pd balanced distilled water before putting the clone in?
What was the concentration of the rooting solution you put on the clone?
Did you cut it at an angle?
What are you feeding it? Nutrients in the water? If so, what is ph and nute ratio (ppm)?

The white on the roots does NOT look like roots.. I thought I saw a small tiny pertruding white thing at the base (THAT would be the root).. but roots if they are long enough will start to show tiny white hairs that grow laterally.. its true if you squeezed the rockwool too hard it could cause problems (the roots need oxygen).. humidity should never be a problem with clones (even 90% humidity shouldnt be an issue) - but heat can cause problems.. if getting too hot, just poke some holes in the cover and it will be cooler and less humid. If they really are starting to seriously die, you can still save them, by making yet another cut at the base of the stem (at a 45 degree angle) and also clip some of the bad leaves off but leave as much green leaf as possible (the clone still needs some way to get energy).

use cloning gel and be patient cloning is so easy a caveman could do it

flutist said:

Well what does root rot look like? Is it white as well?

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Brown and rotten, can't really think of any other way to explain it. It looks rotten. Stem rot is similar it just looks brown and can get slimy too.